hyperv6

The problem is California and the other two Starbucks states are not enough. While they sold good for that area the sales of large SUV's are just stronger else where and too few people wanted them or were willing to pay for them. As for Diesels people do not buy them for the environment. They by them for power, noise and MPG when towing. GMs only sin here was like many of their other projects under old GM. They bring something to market too soon and under developed. Like the 8-6-4 it was a great idea but came too early to have the right computer technology to handle it right. Today it is a normal thing and easy to do back then it was not all that great. The GM hybrids were expensive and limited in their effectiveness. Today if they can get the price down i think you would have more takers. The price is a stumbling bock though. Also yet the rest of America holds little interest in hybrids if they are buying a large suv. Now that Jerry Brown signed California away on the new global warming bill. It will be interesting as to how many companies react. There has been thoughts about limited models or walking away if they kept up their demands for laws that are difficult to reach and would leave many with products few even there would want. I know with my firm we have jumped though many hoops for CARB and even stopped selling some products there as they are just not worth the cost involved to bring to market. They have made doing business so difficult on even so many simple products it is ridiculous. As for GM's last attempt I saw it more as testing the waters and the fact there just was not much interest. Even now few large SUV models offer any hybrid option from anyone. I see it coming back when they have no choice and when the market may be more open to it across the nation.

They gave in to no one. At the time hybrids were very expensive in most all types. Add that cost to an already high price SUV and with gas prices low no one cared. We will see a return of this but low oil prices as it is still trading cheap is not going to spur it. The fact we have higher CAFE coming will as they have no choice. You can kill all the cylinders with out a back up. GM tried to sell them as technology and to be honest people for the most part were "Cool" till they saw the added price and then said I can do with out it. The many folks here with them bought the dealer demo at a discount to where it made sense. Lets face it large SUV drivers are not tree huggers or worried about global warming. Selling them higher priced hybrid at the time was like selling beer in a baptist church. Times are changing as are attitudes and the price of technology. This will be revisited at some point and better accepted also priced.

I like the changes and i saw some where they will bring a sun roof option this time too. The V6 is more than enough for this vehicle. I have actually driven it several times and even the 3.0 version in out Terrain is a good balance of power and economy even with the 19" wheels. As for the 4.3 I am not sure if it would fit or not since many of todays cars are made for the 60 Degree V6 or just the 4 cylinder. The one Concern I have is this truck will get stupid expensive even more so than now. A loaded Z71 package now in crew cab can go $48K now. I expect a Denali may be at least $50K in Crew form. There is a limit people will pay and we are close to it now. If GM wants people to down size to the smaller more efficient trucks they need to get the price better in line. I really expect this truck to replace the half ton in the future. The CAFE breaks are much easier on the 3/4 ton and larger and I expect the Full Size to be move as a 3/4 rating as the primary model and the lighter model will be the mid size. As for electric. Well few guys want to plug in a truck and the Volt system would be very expensive in the truck. I expect we will see some form of this in the future but prices have to come down as few bought the Hybrid SUV models and even less would buy a Chevy truck that is not loaded for $80K. Also if they priced it cheaper it would kill the profits per unit and this is the cash cow on the market.

Tesla just has a lot to still do to get to where they are going to be stable. The cash flow issues will remain a problem for a good while as they need the income from the 3 and it will take them a while to get it up and in production as well get caught up on order they will still have left after the delay. Could be worse they could be SpaceX. How would you like to be told you will be in a SpaceX rocket going to the space station? Time for Elon now to talk/deflect Hypertube again.

Pricing percentage increases will be along the lines of the S. No one knows the pricing as they have yet to finish the car and even Musk stated the base price he said was not going to hold. He alreasy has stated it would be over $40k to start. Then you have to factor in what year is begins production. Is it next year? The year after? As for pricing it is not my opinion but most market people have already outlined what is to be expected. Tesla has a record of never coming in under prices or on time so you can see where it coming from. Most of their cars sold are top models not stripped down models. Most are AWD and most people opt for the best battery and would you not? The S is more of a status symbol for most buyers and they load them up just as if they were buying a Bentley or Ferrari. Not many average buyers are in the fold and while the 3 may move the bar down it will only reach upper middle class at best. Tesla really needs volume and to complete Musk promise of an affordable car to the average buyer. As it is now he just can not do it as he is barely hanging on to what he has. S sales will go down if he does not change the car. The X is under performing and will need to be addressed soon. They faster they lose the doors the better. But I am not sure how easy that would be. Lets face it he has gotten off easy here as If GM has done these doors the media would have crucified them. Same for being late on the X and 3 models too. He has done a hell of a marketing job and proved there is a segment in the higher range. The question is when the others arrive will he last as he has nothing else to fall back on as volume decline. Many in these clique markets move on once things become old and tired. A Porsche or other high end electric can replace this pretty fast and they do not have to show a profit on the car as they make it up on the SUV that has doors that work and an even larger image with their friends. $1000 for cold weather? That should be standard to any car. Hell now they even going to start charging for the Super Chargers here and I expect the other cars will follow at some point in the future.

Here is the deal. the Corvette is a Sports car and is expected to increase performance. It is not built to save the world and it is not tethered to a system of charging stations that are far from everywhere. it has a sole purpose to go fast and handle nothing more. the S sedan is a sedan it is not a race car, It handles ok but is limited to even how many laps it could make with out depleting the power. It's soul intent it to change the way people see and use electric cars. It matter little what sedan it is but do you really need a 2.5 0-60 in any sedan? It is not like you really need it in daily driving. 3.5-4.0 will do about anything you need. Most electric cars with some software changes could do the same as this is the nature of electric motors. What is really needed is to fix the issues on the electric car that limits sales and appeal to the average buyer. That is the recharging times, locations and price. Selling a high priced electric car is not really a challenge anymore Musk did prove there was a segment for it when many did not believe. Now that it is there he has still failed to address where it is difficult to go. He talks about it a lot but just never gets there. GM has moved on the Volt to make it cheaper and better. The Bolt will see the same as will the products from other makers soon. 2.5 is great but there are much more important things that are needed at Tesla and they have yet to address it. Just because some of the folks like to be distracted with don't look at my right hand but watch what I have in my left mentality Musk will continue to have his way with some folks playing them. He is a master at showmanship and distraction. We have not see this as well done since PT Barnum. At some point this will catch up to him or he will sell out before it crashes. The business plan he has now is just not sustainable as it is. At some point the money is just not going to be there to continue the rate of development he needs to keep things alive. Government funding will also run out too.

We have just never communicated well. You do not always get where I am coming from and I assume the same with you. That is why I seldom try to communicate directly to you and for a long while blocked you as I just wanted to keep the piece. I know you are knowledgeable and well informed but at times you present it like you are the only one that is. Too often you take a simple point and blow it way out of proportion as you have here. I am not going to ague with you on this. It was well know as Chevy from the early 50's to the last 50's started to add many features that were never even considered for Chevy and to entice people to think they were getting things like they could on a Cadillac. The 57 was given fins and Chevy never tried to not get people to consider it a Cadillac. This even in small numbers lead to Chevy letting dealers sell the El Mooccos in dealer. They simple either planted the seed or let people think this. I grew up with a GM Executive that was a great uncle and he was really a grandfather to me. He told me may stories from GM and what went on in Detroit. He had been at GM from 1927 to the early 60's. He knew all the greats and worked with most of them. He hated Delorean because he was not old school GM. He even knew Henry Ford and was invited to the Henry Ford Museum opening. His greatest regret was he did not go to the dinner because it rained. He was an engineer and helped in his early years develop the first tandem axle trucks and the use of Pneumatic tires at Goodyear. He worked for White Motors and several other companies before GM. I even have one of his blue prints for a 1920's C cab truck he drew up in the 20's. He shared much with me and I heard and even saw things that most people never saw. His collection of Goodyear truck and GMC truck photos are special to me as they are the original cloth photo's, I even have all the paper work on the cars he bough since the 20's. It is amazing to see how much he paid for cars he bought regularly. The bottom line since I was very young I have been taught much about GM and today it gives me a perspective on many things other will never see or even know about. Because Frank was such a hard line Sloan GM type I can see easily it was his kind that prevented change and really was what drove GM into the ground. I have made my point on this as have you. I am not going to piss over the semantics and anal reflections. I want to get along with you and leave it at that. You do have much to offer but you need to let others have their own opinions, views and recollections. Trust me I don't always agree with all you say either but I do not try to ague ever point. If need be I will just block it as you can say what you like and I will just be fine ignoring it. I don't want to do that but I have done it before and will do it again. Life is too short for a pissing match.

That is just it. They used to be called Dream Cars. People would look at them and consider this is what we may see in 10 years just as with the Harley Earl X job. Then over the last couple decades automakers started to get to the point they tried to make the dream cars reality. First we had the Viper and then some others like the, Solstice, SSR and Prowler. That set off a wave of production cars that got some custom work to make them appear to be show cars when they were lightly veiled production cars. I think this got people to start thinking even the full on concepts were now going production. I remember the Sixteen and how many people were like Build it and how they thought it was a production car. No way in hell GM was going to do a V16 engine and I though well they might take some of the styling and move it to the STS. Well it never did and I was not disappointed as I knew it was a dream car to start. But many others are still upset today about it and the following show cars. Even this new car is mostly dream but I suspect the styling cues are closer than they have been. I think makers really need to get back and present these cars as they are intended as true show cars with hints of what we may see in production in the future and stop this leading people to believe they are real cars. Buick tried to do this at one point when the stylist came out and said it was just a in house project they did to show what they could do. I think the car was done more to show GM what they could do and to get more freedom to expand on the styling they have been assigned. Too many times GM has been the limiting factor of the divisions as like Ponitiac has broken many rules over the years to get what they knew they could do. I truly think the Avista was a cry to let us do more to GM than it was for the public. That is just my take on concepts today and the confusion around them.

No one is forced but if you want anything good in the car you are forced to add many options that normally are standard on most other luxury cars. It is the same game Benz plays in Europe. They low ball the price and ala carte the options. In the end it adds up fast. Network expansion still has a long way to go and it has slowed. The Battery Swap fantasy has gone away. As for technology they all are working on it but yet no major gains have been made. Small but they all have yet to strike the big hit. Cost and charging times are the biggest hurtles to all makers and the one who cracks the code will gain the largest share gain.

The real issue here is Tesla keeps fixing things that are not an issue. The car has had more than enough 0-60 than any one owner will ever need in this type car. The things that need addressed like more charigng stations and faster charge times to where you do not have to go kill time while it charges on a trip is what they really need. Until they get a Full Charge time that can be done just about anywhere in the time it takes to pump 18 gallons 0-60 means little. Also they need to work on price. The 3 is far from a car just anyone can afford. By the time options are added it will be pushing $55-60K Chevy at least with the Bolt will be pretty much optioned out accept for Leather and a few options and will come no where near $60K. One other thing Tesla needs to address is bringing new product not just faster to market but at least on time. They have failed repeatedly here and if it were not for their disciples they would not be given the free pass they have been given. The lower 0-60 times make for great web hype but it like many other things Musk does distracts from the real issues. The truth be said any Electric motored powered car can be very fast as that is the nature of the electric motor. The torque is instant and flat. I am shocked no one has taken a Volt and played with the programming to make it launch like a bastard too. I assume we will see this at some point when the hot rod crowd starts to play with them. GM has not done it as they have not needed the cheap publicity. Cut the crap and answer in a complete thought. Yes my opinion applies to any and every electric car out there. The damn thing is not a sports car and it is a car to appeal to those who are anti gas. It is more than fast enough for now and has other needs like better range and faster charge times. Just tweaking the software to apply more power faster is not really a big deal unless you want cheap headlines. Sure it may be faster than a 488 Ferrari but it is still not a Ferrari and you are missing the best part the sound. Hey the Hellcat is just buying time for Chrysler with a very old outdated car no one even used in comparisons anymore. At least it sound cool. Luxury cars cost money but the MFG generally try not to tell you they are only $35K and 60K when they really cost twice as much. Tesla has for years told us yes you can have one for $60-70K on the S model but if you want the goods it will be twice that or more. They are doing the same thing on the 3 Model. They treat this like Flemmings Steak house with ala cart on everything. That may work there but not at the car dealer. I know what the Bolt competes with but Musk has tried to direct the 3 toward it. Many people think they compete now and they are not even in the same class. Even Musk has admitted he lied about the $35K. Tesla has disciples that would ca-strait themselves if Musk asked them to. Most love to argue the car but odds are most will never even own one because they can not afford it. As of now we have a great example of a disciple right here thanks to you. The bottom line is Tesla is short money behind on sales and slow with new product. They have been late on every car. They are behind on production and are now offering deals to play catch up. If they were selling like Musk likes to claim they would not be making cheaper models and offering discounted leases. He also would not presale a car with no announced production date if he did not need the money. the X model was late and so far has under performances and been a warranty nightmare. The S quality issues are greater now too as they have tried to speed things up. Don't believe it read their web forums. The bottom line is Tesla needed the 3 last year and the X 3 years before. The body of the S is growing old and as tired as a Chrysler 300. Yet all they could do is put some face on it from an Alien. You can shovel all the crap you like on this but we see the truth as we are not blinded followers. My greatest worry is as much as Tesla has helped promote the acceptance of the Electric car if it fails it will do more damage than it did good in the general public eye. We do not need another Tucker here. What great difference is a 4 second 0-60 than a 2.5 one in a family sedan. How often is it really needed compared to a 8 min full charge or another 100 mile range? I think you will find true advancements like these are more of what it will take to attract new converts. The car is already damn fast now fix the thing really in need. If Tesla could just lower the cost of a model for the average buyer and fix the charge times and add more range they could even make a profit. Profits are good for longevity as it stands now time is ticking and they are living hand to mouth to survive with their cash flow. I suspect when the other expensive sedans hit the market the S will struggle. Tesla needs to get the rest of their lines out of Musks head and in the customers hands. Once the Porsche and others are hear the market will shrink for them in a very significant way. The key is the others do not live only on electric products so the pressure is off. Tesla will struggle with only one type of car and with customers that will have many other interesting choices. You don't think a Porsche electric sedan? Who ever thought they would sell a 6,000 SUV in the numbers they are selling?

You are not the only self proclaimed expert in town on this. I have found others many published and accredited over the years that have made much more compelling cased on how the Chevy was marketed. The influence went as far as even seeing the El Morocco sold by Chevy dealers. This is how the public saw the Chevy and it was not all by chance. Sorry if I don't follow you on this one as I just do not agree and I do agree with others. Not trying to be rude and not trying to piss you off but you have to give it a rest and that once in a while we will not always agree.

The real issue here is Tesla keeps fixing things that are not an issue. The car has had more than enough 0-60 than any one owner will ever need in this type car. The things that need addressed like more charigng stations and faster charge times to where you do not have to go kill time while it charges on a trip is what they really need. Until they get a Full Charge time that can be done just about anywhere in the time it takes to pump 18 gallons 0-60 means little. Also they need to work on price. The 3 is far from a car just anyone can afford. By the time options are added it will be pushing $55-60K Chevy at least with the Bolt will be pretty much optioned out accept for Leather and a few options and will come no where near $60K. One other thing Tesla needs to address is bringing new product not just faster to market but at least on time. They have failed repeatedly here and if it were not for their disciples they would not be given the free pass they have been given. The lower 0-60 times make for great web hype but it like many other things Musk does distracts from the real issues. The truth be said any Electric motored powered car can be very fast as that is the nature of the electric motor. The torque is instant and flat. I am shocked no one has taken a Volt and played with the programming to make it launch like a bastard too. I assume we will see this at some point when the hot rod crowd starts to play with them. GM has not done it as they have not needed the cheap publicity.

Here is what JDN has stated about the rumored changes in Cadillac's plan do to GM getting more involved. He then spills what is confirmed for Cadillac’s future, stating substantial costs have already been committed to each program. Per de Nysschen, here is the future of Cadillac: We ARE planning a Cadillac flagship which will NOT be a 4 door sedan; We ARE planning a large crossover beneath Escalade; We ARE planning a compact crossover beneath XT5; We ARE planning a comprehensive enhancement to CT6 later during life cycle;We ARE planning a major refresh for XTS;We ARE planning a new Lux 3 sedan entry;We ARE planning a new Lux 2 sedan entry; Here is my take. The flag ship is a 5 door or two door. The larger cross over was something we already knew was coming. Just what platform? We knew there was a smaller SUV coming than the XT5 as these will push profits. The CT6 getting many changes. Well it was not a JDN product so he will make the needed changes to fit his plan. The XTS is going to live on but watch it be used for volume, Service and Livery use. NYC has replaced most town cars with these as have many other cities. The LUX3-2 models I suspect are the ATS and CTS that will be resized to better fit the line up. They need to move away from the CT6 as the CTS is stepping all over it in size. I also look to see changes in the XT5 that JDN could not add by intro. JDN also has made a point that Cadillac needs to make enough profits to fund their own projects and not rely on GM for all their money and design work. He would like to see them in control of their income so they can best chose what they need not GM. The fight for autonomy is still on at GM and Cadillac. GM really needs to step back and let them have a go at it as every time they step in they come up short. Now that this info is added have at it. This is key to any argument about Cadillac. It is not so much what we do know but the many things we do not know going on behind the scenes that is in play here. GM has given Mark Ruess grief on trying to do what is right on the CT6 and they appear to be now doing the same with JDN. If you want Volume you do crossovers. You can whore them out all day with no issue with image. Now with a car you have to use care as the market is flicked and you build too many cars the image is never gained or it is lost as we have seen in the past with Cadillac and Lincoln. At least in the NA market. Europe see's it differently.

Careful on your examples. The ELR was a concept that made it to production much intact like the SSR. But in the end both were filled with many issues that would never have happened in a car built for the market more than show. Things like no back seat room and even on the SSR to adjust the seats you have to open the door. Frame flex was horrible etc. As for the CT6 it was a street car made into a Show car. Car companies have three ways to build show cars. #1 you build them for show and cherry pick things to add to the production car after many changes. #2 You take a car set for production and customize it for show. #3 Take a Show car and force it into production and if it is not changed enough you end up with many ergonomic, poor site lines and other issues that will create problems for the consumer. None of this is any different than the old Motorama days. Most of their cars were concepts where they only took ideas from. Some were forced into production like the 53 Vette that lacked things like roll up windows etc. Then there some production cars with some dressing to make them special but they moved into production. The problem today is people are having a hard time decerning what is producible and what is not. Case in point the Avista. Here is a car that was not considered for production as it came from a studio not a panning committee. The styling staff was trying to show just what they could do. The problem along the way is that it was not designed to be used on a production car and to put it into production it would lose many key eleements leaving those crying to build it upset because it changed. We went though a long period where many show cars were customized production cars. Now people expect everything is producible. Well much is not. Many of today's cars are much like the future looking Motorama cars. We will see elements of them in future products but like in the Avista the b pillar would be added the wheels would shrink as would the brakes and the interior would be something much more conventional. Ride height would be raided and the bumpers changed. As for Cadillac all their show cars to this point have been just hat show cars nothing more. They have built cars that barely just go down the road if they even do that. Each one has gotten closer to being real but even the Elmiaj could not be made as is as the Omega can not be set to the same wheel base due to hard points. This was a major issue when they looked at it. The latest car may be the closest to production but even it would need to see some extensive changes to live in the real world. Right now there is a fight at GM and Cadillac over volumes. GM wants more Volume and profits and Cadillac is more focuses on more profits not so much volume. There will be a push for more Crossovers models as this will add the needed volumes but image is still going to be built with the car lines. Even Porsche sells more crossovers but it is the 911 and Boster that set the image for the company. It was made clear by JDN that the large 4 door sedan is been pushed back. He said there is still a flag ship coming so you have to read between the GM speak here. Does that mean there is a 5 door coming to compete with the Tesla and Audi? Does it mean there is an image building coupe and convertible coming? I really do not see it as a SUV as they will sell that no matter what. Take what he has stated and think of the options. Also put off the Mid engine car as that is still off in the future, He has made it clear they could not have it till 2025. I will put in the next post on the things JDN has recently stated to add more fuel to this fire here and get us all a little more updated as to what is really going on. He was as clear as he could be so read up.

Well for the most part the phase has been used in many fields and in variations by many people. This from the same Steve Jobs who famously said in 1996: "Picasso had a saying -- 'good artists copy; great artists steal' -- and we have always been shameless about stealing great ideas." As for the Riv the car as you already know is a Bill Mitchell car. Now Bill in so much did not base it on a Rolls as the media reports.They only said this to relate it to the public and I would not be suprised if GM PR did not play it up. The truth is BIll loved the work of British coachbuilder Hooper & Co. The originator of the razor edge styling of a roof. The truth is many of American designs have used elements of euro design. Even some of the best cars from japan were even designed there. Detroit has long looked to Italy for inspiration and even some rebodied cars. GM, Ford and Chrysler all sent cars there to be bodied. Just as Pizza Pie has inspired the American Pizza much styling has been inspired there and perfected here for our own cars. One can not look at a 250 GT Ferrari Lusso and not feel their spirit moved inside. Even things as simple as the Back Gold Trans Am and the Screaming Chicken has roots to England in a round about ways. John Schinnella had his staff come up with the large Screaming Chicken. Mitchell hated it and refused to approve it. So John noted Mitchell was riding a John Player Triumph that sported black with gold pin stripes. He had the 455 SD show car painted to match it and sent it for Bill to drive. Well he had a change in mind and now history is as we know it. The Bandit would not have had a car had it not been for an English motorcycle. Bill even had a thing about Ferrari Engines. He loved the sound and not only emulated the styling in the second Gen F body but he wanted the sound too. This is where the Pegasus came in and he had a V12 installed in a Firebird. He could never show the car but he drove it and tried to get the engineers to make the similar sound. Well as we know you can not make a V12 sound like an 8 but he tried to capture this in a Pontiac. We even can look with in as the 57 Chevy was marketed as the average mans Cadillac. They added the fins and Chrome then went on to offer some options like Cadillac. Borrowing, stealing and inspiration has always been a part of design and selling. It is like refining something to a next level for your own use. The Americans have been seen for their work too. Others have emulated them over the years also. Look no farther than the X Job as it changed automotive history as we know it. The American Design did lose its way in the 70's and 80's on many forgettable cars and is today working to try to get back to where they once were. We have had some good cars but we also have many more we would like to forget. But anymore many others have had the same issues.

Actually the claim of stealing was used by Mr Earl years ago. I can not remember the exact quote but he did not hide his taking of ideas and if I recall he said there is no shame stealing from the best. Mr Lutz just recently rephrased this quote in his own terms. I have never see the media even give them credit for stealing the best either. Harley would come back from Paris every year with notebooks on ideas he found there. Many were used and incorporated into his own ideas. But his ideas were taken from many areas and he held an open mind on what he would consider. He had his visions and wanted them carried out. You can call it inspired, stolen, borrowed cribbed but it is all the same. Nothing wrong with taking a good idea and then creating your own version of it. Hell some of the best cars were refined versions of other cars in history. Note Harley trick was to make cars look as one and not a bunch of slammed together parts as many were. He combined the body, fenders and hood into one unit at a time a trunk was a real trunk on a fold out platform. The X job really set the trend for the future. Most people who do not know the cars history just assume it is a newer model and do not realize it is a 1938 model. Harley said that his job was to make cars longer and lower or at least appear to be and that is what he did. He did have his own original things too but his real key was getting the proportions of the modern car down at least till they started down sizing things like crazy in the 80's. If figure the first down sized Deville FWD in the 80's made him roll over in his grave. GM is now just losing some of the poor proportions they had. The new Lacrosse has screamed for more width and finally just got it. The Malibu is a much better proportioned car. I really wonder what he would or could have done with a CUV. They are so difficult to design as the two box shape limits you much. It is hard to be original and good looking at the same time.

I might add that some of the best styled model in history stole from other brands. Harley Earl was a master thief of styling cues from Europe. Harley took from aviation and the P-38 for the Cadillac. He took from nature and the Shark for the Mako Shark. [though it is said they painted the fish to match the car to make him happy]. Harley even took from Ferrari to make the grill on the 55 Chevy. It was very controversial and at the time they paniced and redid the nose of the 56 as they felt they went too far from the market. Today the 55 is considered the best of the two. As for some other risk while I know the Bustle-back may be popular with some here and enthusiast it was a fad like Member Only Jackets that faded fast. As for starting new trends it is like putting your money all on 42 black and spinning the wheel. It is a big gamble and the odds are against you. If you want to build to the future you do it through steady and progressive design and evolve it to where it is the trend not a splash in the pan. Just throwing spit balls and seeing what sticks is kind of what the Cleveland Browns have been doing for years now and look where that had gotten them. Now this year they decided to trade down stock up on a number of solid players and not put it all on a number 2 draft pick to save the team. It is a smart move as one car and one model is not going to set the future for Cadillac. I think the Browns finally have the administration that know what will work. It is not a fast fix but it is a way to see steady and continued growth and improvement. The same I think will happen at Cadillac. One has to keep in mind that most guys that are home run hitters are often the ones who strike out the most. It is the guys that it the singles, doubles and triples that do the most by being the runs batted in. Not as much glory and excitement but more progress and victories. Runs batted in win more games than just home runs.

Not entirely, the formal roof has been still retained many places and no more prominent than Chrysler 300, Bentley, Rolls, etc. Just some Germans and the Later Jags. While I am not a full fastback Hatch fan I would still like a more formal roof with a little flow. I do not want to see a total vertical rear window. Been there done that and they age poorly.

When I look at this car now that I have had more time and compared it to the Ciel and Elmiraj it appears to use much of both cars and incorporated a fastback roof line like so many cars are doing today. Even the Malibu and Impala have them today. The formal roof is out and fast back looks are in. The nose has a modifies Elmiraj look and the side looks much like the Ciel. It has taken both a little more production like but the roof is still pure show car with the hatch. The cross overs will provide the main income at Cadillac and they will have large medium and small models. as this is where the market is going. Sedans will remain but will fill a smaller roll as will a couple sports cars along the way later on. No mid engine till later though. Lutz has a good observation on the market and stated models and brands will change much in the next 20 years and the auto industry as we know will change much. Regulations and development coat are hitting a wall and they can not be sustained. He predicted 4-5-6 companies will survive. People can not keep paying more and companies are having a difficult time keeping development cost lower. Something has to give.

They have worse the young Trudeau. I asked my two Canadian friends what they though of him. It was not much. The one said his mother was smoking pot when she was making him and it really has left him impaired. Well he used another term but it included some color metaphors.

Not too many plans but to many managers with too many new plans that had no full support or vision from GM. Lets face it the issue has been the leader roll at Cadillac had been a revolving door. Before much could get done they were gone. Mark has tried to lead and even he took crap from the board on the CT6 and the things he wanted. He has brought in JDN and got GM to give him the time and money to bring to the market a full plan properly funded. Will it work well for once we will find out as they are giving him the chance unlike the others. The things of the past were hit an and miss. While the Nstar made a lot of news they suffered investment issues where they had many head gasket and ring issues. The Seville of the 90's was a nice car but GM would not fund a RWD version. A real missed opportunity. Then they do silly things like the Catera and the XLR that did nothing to help Cadillac if anything did more damage. The SUV or lack of is due to one Cadillac coming out of bankruptcy wit no real new products. The only left over was the XLR. They needed a new CTS and the ATS was also put in since the Alpha needed more than one car on it. The SUV deal was holding its own with the Clade and SRX. Then the revolving door. We know now Mark and JDN will bring the rain with SUV and CUV models and they will do well. GM is one of the best with both. They may be late but they will make a big splash. If I recall they called Lutz late to the party with the HHR and it turned out to be everything and more than they could have hoped for. They sold in six figures most of the years it was sold and even on the used market they are still $7K-10K for a good one. While others said it would flop it did really well and better than any Cobalt wagon would have ever done.

Not sure the headlamps will be an issue unless some laws are changed. The car is interesting and too difficult to judge in photo's. It for sure is a concept and not really close to production outside. But inside the cars is as close as any of the show cars have been. What they have in there is pretty close to possible at a higher price point. I have seen claims of it looks like an Audi A7, Jag, Aston, Lexus and the hatch hints at Tesla in a odd way. I think the car has some real global appeal and the real key is the styling would play well but they must execute top trim materials and features. They need to lead the way on some technologies and not just add Apple play and call it a day. While this may be a show car I think there are elements of the future of A&S on the car. I picture this with a more formal roof line and even in a coupe and while I will not pass final judgment till I see it in person I think it is decent. The responses on the web have been all over as expected as some of the traditialist are ranting not enough chrome or no bench seat and others appear to like it. One survey had a 75%+ approval which is good. This is some of the first work JDN may have had some influence on so this will give us some direction to where to expect changed. We know he has been very critical on present interiors and this one shows a new direction. I feel things will be getting very interesting in 2019 and later. While I am not blown away with the photos I am not put off. I expect it will be like the Lacrosse where I was ok with it and then when I saw the first one I was shocked at how well the proportions played out. The wider look really better balanced the car and design.

My point was made in relation TO GM and its share holders. But share holders or not the point of nearly all business is to make a profit and make money. Few companies are charities just to employ people just for the hell of it. In past decades when business was no as competitive as it is today and regulation things were easier. Also as busy as most companies were in America since we imported so little there was a great competition for employees. Companies would offer benefits to draw in more and better employees. Today they are competing with people in other third world countries that will make things for half the cost and the shipping today makes it so easy and fast to transports it has changed the dynamic. Also you have so many here that want a lot of money to make a item yet they do not want to show up daily, keep off drugs, pass a back ground check and not steal. I had a guy here making good money but he had to quite because he used his generous vacation time, personal time and even exhausted all his warnings verbal and written by June. He was a great worker when he was here. Why did he quite because if he was late one more time or missing one more time he was fired. Why did he miss so much time. He had to stay home to play on line Video games. Yes he had a wife and family too. The dynamic of the company, worker has changed and much of it is due to the globalization and the higher cost of doing business. Companies would love to make things here but some can not because no one makes some of the things we used to make. Others know if they do not meet cost people will not buy it. Everyone complains about Walmart imports but yet they still buy them. Everyone wants to be a millionaire but they all want to shop at Costco.

My point of view is if you build a great car the name matters little. La Ferrari is dumb but yet people will pay millions and wait for over a year to take delivery. I think too many enthusiast put too much time into names and too little into the product. A name may help a bad car but a good car will sine even if it is labeled poorly. And please no one pull up the Nova hoax that never happened. As for Cadillac no one really cares about the past under 60 and if you do get with it. The old names mean little in today's market. Too often if they do it is the winter beater your neighbor owns rusting out in the street. If you want to really effect change and if you have to use a name you need new names. Elmiraj was brilliant. nice play on words in of an exotic but racy location. The fact is the Germans pump out high dollar cars and make billions on numbers which is proof names mean little. There was a time when advertising like the old Fitzpatrick Pontiac adds really conjured up images that most never would see in person. Today with global travel and the web people just don't care or dream as much. They are too damn busy videoing their brother trying to skate board off the roof to post to You Tube. So old names are out. Next new names that mean nothing. What a waste and so Asian. Names need to mean something and they need to reach out to more than one old age group. The show car names Cadillac have been ok with some and others a waste. I would search for exotic names that mean something to people under 40 and go with that. Sorry I am just tired of this old debate where some want to relive their youth 50 plus years ago and think a name is going to change the out come in this game. Fix the product and you will fix what ails the company. If anyone thinks an Escalade is selling so well because of the name you had better look at what it is. Large expressive top of the line SUV could be called anything and sell as well.

Leave it as California but you get my point. Nearly as many just in the San Diego, LA and Santa Barbra as all of Canada. Not counting the illegals as they go uncounted.